Toy gun



G. C. VERIS Jan. 15, 1963 TOY GUN Filed May 4, 1959 INVENTOR.

GEORGE C. VERIS ATTORNEY United 3,073,660 TOY GUN George C. Veris, 1722 Dorwood Drive, South Bend, Ind. Filed May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,783 9 Claims. (Q1. 46-l77) The present invention relates to toy weapons and more particularly to toy guns, pistols and the like.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide toy guns, pistols and the like having a mechanism for producing realistic sounds resembling those normally created by actual weapons of this type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy gun or the like having mechanisms for producing sounds resembling the firing of a bullet from an actual gun and thereafter producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for a toy gun, pistol or the like for producing a ricochet sound, which is compact and can be adapted 1 to guns of a variety of different types and designs and which is relatively simple in construction and operation.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a safe, easy to operate gun of the aforesaid type having a ricochetsound producing mechanism either alone or in combination with a mechanism for producing the report of a bullet being fired from the gun.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for creating a sound simulating the sound produced by ricochet bullet, which can be used either in or apart from a toy gun or the like to provide the sound effect of a gun battle.

Another object is to provide a method of creating a sound resembling a ricochet bullet either alone or in combination with a simulated report of a bullet being fired from a gun.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the folowing description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of a toy revolver showing in elevation and partial cross section my mechanism for producing a sound simulating that made by firing the revolver followed by the sound of a richochet bullet;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the toy revolver shown in FIGURE 1, taken on line Z2 of the latter figure;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a portion of the sound producing mechanism shown in the preceding figures; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the gun shown is designed externally to resemble a conventional revolver including a barrel 1G, cylinder 12, handle or grip 14, hammer l6, and trigger and trigger guard 18 and 20, respectively. The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings is arranged to fit into the frame 22 and the simulated cylinder portion 12. The parts and elements of the present sound producing mechanism may be arranged in various positions to permit guns of different types and designs to accommodate the mechanism without interfering with the outward appearance simulating an actual gun.

As used in the specification and appended claims the word gun refers to and is intended to include any type orkind of toy weapon mimicking an actual weapon from which is discharged a bullet or other projectile, including pistols, revolvers, rifles and machine guns.

.The broad concept of the present invention consists in a mechanism and method of producing a ricochet sound; wherein the sound diminishes in frequency from beginning to end to produce the effect of the flight of a Patented Jan. 15, 1933 ricochet bullet away from the listener. This effect, usualiy described as a whine, may be accomplished in a number of different ways and with a variety of different mechanisms within the scope of the present invention. However, the preferred form includes a mechanism having a siren or a diaphragm with a sound producing element actuated by a rotating member, such as a fly wheel, operated only during the deceleration portion of the operating cycle. The mechanism is interrupted or otherwise prevented from producing its characteristic sound during the accelerating portion of the cycle.

In the mechanism shown in the drawings, the sound of the ricochet bullet is produced by a diaphragm 30 forming the bottom of a cup-shaped member 32 which is suspended from the upper part of the wall of the cylinder cavity by a finger 34- pivotally mounted on a pin 35, the pin being rigidly supported by a pair of arms 38 and 40 attached to the upper wall. An actuating element 42 is attached to the back side of the diaphragm and extends rearwardly to a gear 44, the teeth of which oscillate the element when the gear is rotating, thus vibrating the diaphragm to produce the desired sound. A fly-wheel 46 is secured concentrically to one end of gear 4-4 and the two are journalled for rotation on reduced diameter shafts 48 and 50 in bearing sockets in the side wall of the gun frame. Element 42 and member 32 are normally held in the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 1 by a spring member 52 attached to the lower part of member 32 pressing against a lug 54. It is seen that when element 42 is in this position it is disengaged from gear 44 and would not be actuated by the rotation of the gear.

Gear 44 and fly wheel 46 are driven by the trigger through a train of gears consisting of a gear segment at pivoted on trigger mounting pin 62 and joined integrally to the trigger, a small gear 64- driven by said segment and rigidly connected to large gear 66, the latter gear being rotatable with gear 64 for driving small and large gears 68 and 70. Gears 6% and 66 are journalled on reduced diameter shafts 72 and 74 in the side walls of the frame and gears 63 and 7d are journalled on reduced diameter shafts '76 and 78 in opposed slots St in the Wal 's. When the gears are at rest, gears 68 and 70 are in the position shown in full lines in FiGURE 1 with shafts 76 and "it; in the lower end of the slots and with gear 76) out of mesh with gear 44. However, when the trigger is pulled rearwardiy and the gears rotated, gears 68 and 7%) move upwardly with shafts 76 and 78 until gear 76* is fully meshed with gear 44, as shown in broken lines, said gears remaining in this raised position as long as a driving force is being applied thereto by gear 66. As soon as the trigger has been pulled all the way back or stopped at an intermediate position, gear 70 drops away from gear id permitting the latter gear and the fly wheel to rotate freely under their own momentum, pre erably silently without gear noise.

When face 84 of segment 64) approaches its full moverent in a counter-clockwise direction, it engages spring member 52 and pivots member 32 on pin 36, causing element 42 to engage the teeth of gear 44. Element 42 remains in contact with the gear as long as the trigger is held in its fully retracted position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1. As soon as the trigger is released, a spring 83 around pin 62 returns the trigger to its forward position retracing face 84 from spring member 52 and permitting said member to raise element 42 from gear 44.

Since a report from a gun often precedes the ricochet sound it is usually preferable to include a mechanism in the gun for creating a sound resembling the firing of a gun and this report should precede the ricochet sound at an interval suficient to permit the two effects to be audible as distinct sounds. A suitable mechanism for producing the report is illustrated in the drawings and consists of a reed or leaf spring 91} anchored in the grip 'ofthe gun and extending over a sounding board 92 to a point alongside segment ea- A pin @4 projecting laterally from the segment engages and lifts the reed as the trigger is pulled and at a predetermined point intermediate the movement of the trigger, slips from the end of the reed permitting it to snap downwardly onto the sounding board to create the report sound. The reed, being flexible, permits the pin to pass the end as the trigger is returned to its original position. This type of mechanism is being shown merely for the purpose of illustrating a means for producing the report sound. Other types of mechanisms, such as explosive caps and the like, may be substituted for the mechanism shown. In the operation of the toy gun just described, as the trigger is pulled rearwardly, pin 94- engages and releases reed 9tiproducing a report resembling the firing of a gun, and simultaneously therewith all the gears between the trigger and fly wheel are rotated, producing rapid rotation of the fly wheel and gear 44. When the trigger approaches its fully retracted position, face 84 of segment 66 engages spring member 52 and pulls element 42 into engagement with rapidly rotating gear 44, which is permitted to continue to rotate after the trigger has been fully pulled by the dropping of gear 70 downwardly from gear 44 as soon as no more pressure is applied by the trigger'through the train of gears. As the speed of the fly wheel and gear 44 diminishes, the sound created by element 42 on gear 44 through diaphragm 30 produces a sound of diminishing frequency resembling that made by a ricochet bullet. While this sound is of short duration it will continue either until the fiy wheel and gear 4-4 have stopped rotating or until the trigger is a permitted to move-toward its forward position, thus re leasing spring member 52 and permitting element 42 to become disengaged from gear 44.

As shown in FIGURE 4, a siren may be easily substituted for diaphragm 3t) and element 42 by merely employing a small conventional and well known type siren 102,'the drive mechanism of which is provided with.

a gear 104 for engaging gear 44 when the trigger approaches its fully retracted position. The gear 104 which drives the siren from gear 44 through gear 106 is mounted on a small shaft 108 on the siren, and the siren carrying the gears is mounted on a lever 110 pivoted on a pin 112. A spring 114 urges assembly in the direction to unmesh gear W4 from gear 44 and face 84 of segment 6% moves the assembly through lever 110 to engage gears 44 and 104 to drive the siren as the trigger approaches the end of its rearward movement. The remainder of the mechanism is otherwise the same as that described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 through 3.

While actuating element 42 is shown driven direct from gear 44,.a special actuating wheel or roller rotating with the gear may be used if desired. 7 Further, in place of the train of gears between the trigger and the mechanism for creating the whining sound of decreasing frequency, an electric mechanism controlled by a trigger may be used to actuate the sound creating mechanism. Various other changes and modifications may be made in the mechanism without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling the firing of a gun and a ricochet bullet, comprising a diaphragm, an element attrigger is being pulled, a means for disengaging said element from said first mentioned gear, means connected to said trigger for engaging said element and first mentioned gear when the trigger approaches fully pulled position, and a means operated by said trigger for producing a report sound before said element engages said first mentioned gear.

2. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet, comprising a diaphragm, an element attached to said diaphragm and extending outwardly therefrom, a gear for vibrating said element to produce a sound, a fly wheel rotatably connected to said first mentioned gear, a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said first mentioned gear and being engaged with said first mentioned gear only while the trigger i being pulled, a means for disengaging said element from said first mentioned gear, and a means connected to said trigger for engaging said element and first mentioned gear when the trigger approaches fully pulled position.

3. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet, comprising a diaphragm, an element attached to said diaphragm and extending outwardly therefrom, a means including a gearfor vibrating said element to produce a sound, a fly wheel rotatably connected to said first mentioned gear,

a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said first mentioned gear and being engaged with said first mentioned gear only while the trigger is being pulled, and a means connected to said trigger for engaging said element and first mentioned means when the trigger approaches fully pulled position.

4. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling the firing of a gun and a ricochet bullet, comprising a sound creating means, a means for actuating said sound creating means, means including a gear for operating said second mentioned means, a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said first mentioned gear and being engaged with said first mentioned gear only While the trigger is being pulled, a means for rendering said second mentioned means inoperable until the trigger approaches fully pulled position, means connected to said trigger for operatively connecting said second and third means when the trigger approaches fully pulled position, and a means operated by said trigger for producing a report sound before said first mentioned means is actuated.

5. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet, comprising a sound creating means, a means engaging and actuating said sound creating means, means including a gear for op,- erating said second mentioned means, a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said first mentioned gear and being engaged with said first mentioned gear only while the trigger is being pulled, means for disengaging said second and third mentioned means, and a means connected to said trigger for operatively connecting said second and third means when the trigger ap- 1 proaches fully pulled position.

6. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling the firing of a gun and a ricochet bullet, comprising a siren, a gear for driving said siren, a gear for driving said first mentioned gear to produce a sound, a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said second mentioned gear and being engaged with said second mentioned gear only while the trigger is being pulled, means for disengaging said first and second mentioned gears, means connected to said trigger for engaging said first and second mentioned gears when the trigger approaches fully pulled position, and a means operated by said trigger for producing a report before said first and second mentioned gears are intermeshed.

7. A gun having a trigger and a mechanism for producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet, comprising a siren, a gear for driving said siren, a gear for driving said first mentioned gear to produce a sound, a train of gears driven by the pulling of said trigger for driving said second mentioned gear and being engaged with said second mentioned gear only while the trigger is being pulled, means for disengaging said first and second mentioned gears, and a means connected to said trigger for engaging said first and second mentioned gears when the trigger approaches fully pulled position.

8. A mechanism for producing a sound resembling a richochet bullet, comprising a diaphragm, an element for actuating said diaphragm, a gear means for actuating said element, a fly wheel rotatably connected to said gear means, a means for disconnecting said element from said gear means, and a means connected to said trigger for engaging said element and said gear means only after said flywheel has been substantially fully accelerated.

9. A mechanism for producing a sound resembling a ricochet bullet, comprising a sound creating means, means for operating said first mentioned means, means for operatively disengaging said first and second means, a flywheel rotatably connected to said second mentioned means, means for accelerating said flywheel, and a means for 0peratively engaging said first and second means while said flywheel is decelerating.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,053,672 Marx Sept. 8, 1936 2,082,256 Netschke June 1, 1937 2,734,310 Christopher Feb. 14, 1956 2,925,685 Blankenship Feb. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 908,250 France Aug. 27, 1945 

9. A MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING A SOUND RESEMBLING A RICOCHET BULLET, COMPRISING A SOUND CREATING MEANS, MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID FIRST MENTIONED MEANS, MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY DISENGAGING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS, A FLYWHEEL ROTATABLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND MENTIONED MEANS, MEANS FOR ACCELERATING SAID FLYWHEEL, AND A MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS WHILE SAID FLYWHEEL IS DECELERATING. 